The Eastern Washington women's basketball team opens the second half of Big Sky Conference play this week, hosting Montana State and Montana in a pair of league counters. The Eagles take on Montana State on Thursday, Feb. 6, at 6 p.m. before facing Montana on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 2 p.m.

Saturday's game versus Montana is Cancer Awareness Day in Reese Court, and fans that show their pink clothing to the ticket booth will receive free admission. KHQ's Leslie Lowe will also be in attendance for a special recognition.

Eastern (9-10, 5-5 Big Sky) currently sits in seventh place in the league standings after the first half of conference play. The top seven teams in the final standings advance to the Big Sky Tournament, which will be held at the home venue of the regular season champion.

The Eagles picked up their first road win of the season last Saturday, Feb. 1, coming from behind to defeat host Northern Colorado, 52-51, after the Bears' last-second shot fell short. EWU trailed for a vast majority of the second half until a lay-up from freshman Jade Redmon gave Eastern a 50-48 lead with 2:55 left. After UNC tied the game on its next possession, junior Melissa Williams put the Eagles ahead for good on a jumper with 1:57 on the clock.

Redmon and Williams combined for just eight points, but scored EWU's final six points against Northern Colorado. Williams was equally as big on the glass, pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds as Eastern improved to 8-0 when rebounding its opponents.

The Eagles shot a season-low 32.7 percent against the Bears, winning for the first time this season when shooting less than 40 percent from the field. EWU made just 17 field goals versus UNC, but knocked down seven three-pointers and finished 11-of-13 from the charity stripe.

Redshirt sophomore Hayley Hodgins and senior Laura Hughes extended their respective double-figure scoring streaks to nine games and five games after scoring 12 points apiece at Northern Colorado.

Montana State (11-8, 6-4) is in a four-way tie for third place in the Big Sky standings after falling in overtime at in-state rival Montana on Monday, Feb. 3. The Bobcats have lost their last three games after a hot start to open league play that saw them race out to a 6-1 mark. MSU won this season's first meeting, 78-74, in Bozeman, Mont., after erasing a 10-point deficit with less than 12 minutes to play. Junior Lexie Nelson had 19 points while Hayley Hodgins (18 points, 8 rebounds) and Aubrey Ashenfelter (13 points, 6 rebounds) also scored in double figures.

Montana (13-6, 7-3) moved into second place in the conference standings after outlasting Montana State in overtime, and have won four straight entering this week's games. The Grizzlies cruised past visiting Eastern, 81-64, in this season's first meeting, leading by as many as 22 points. Redmon finished with a season-high 11 points against Montana while Nelson (11 points) and Hodgins (10 points) also registered double figures.